We ask the question, "What is my job?" when a child challenges the rules. The usual answer is "My safety". Then we continue to work with the child to determine what do we have to do to either comply with rules or regulations, or consider their safety.
In this session we will take a 5 X 7 card and draw a diagonal line from top left to bottom right. Then number 1 - 18 along the bottom. Next write PROTECT along the bottom left, and PREPARE along the top right. The numbers will represent the years of a child's life and the words represent parental behavior throughout childhood.
Now we can talk about possible reasons why parents choose the rules they have for each child. Remembering that each person is trying to match pictures in their Quality World, factoring in the fact that we have rules and regulations ourselves (as adults and as caretakers), and that children have Quality World pictures as well as wants and needs, understanding where each person comes from will certainly make things better. More later on this subject.